Big idea 2024: our campaign for Joined-Up Government
We are excited to share our Big Idea for 2024!
COP28 is behind us and the focus now needs to move from negotiation to implementation. As part of our contribution around COP, we were inspired by the work of our Young Leaders in systems-mapping UK local government climate plans, our intergenerational event on 12th December and the resulting Young Leaders’ Manifesto. Over the course of 2023, we learned a lot with our partners about working for systems change and we now want to support the rapid transition away from fossil fuels as agreed at COP28.
What is the campaign?
In January 2024 we will be launching our ‘Campaign for Joined-Up Government’. We are in a ‘polycrisis’ for environmental, social and economic challenges. These cannot be solved in siloes. We need joined-up solutions. We believe the OnePlanet approach and platform can support ‘systems-thinking-joined-up action’.
Polycrisis and the need for ‘systems thinking’
At the local and national level in the UK, so many of our systems are now in crisis: health, economy, and environment. This ‘polycrisis’ can be seen as a failure to understand fully the interconnections between health, climate, jobs, and transport. At the global level, the United Nations University describes how these risks are interconnected.
Not appreciating interconnections and systems thinking has meant that we have failed to act in a joined-up way. With carbon emissions still rising, climate change is unfolding rapidly. In 2024, we may see the world experience the most challenging year yet because, among other things, El Nino will kick in fully, affecting people, planet, and the economy. But this lack of joined-up thinking applies much more broadly. For example in health, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, GP and TV presenter of ‘Doctor in the House’, has this to say: ‘We are realising as health professionals we got it completely wrong.’ Up to 80% of NHS spending is avoidable if we promote healthy diets, lifestyles, a clean environment and stable climate.
Therefore, we need to ‘connect the dots’ on climate, health, equity, etc at national and local level to guide actions to increase resilience and transform society to one which is good for the health of people, community, and planet.
New ways of working: from silos to collaboration
New tools such as OnePlanet allow collaboration on ‘Shared Outcomes’ across departments and sectors, enabling systems mapping and joined-up action – not least at the central government level.
How will we promote a paradigm shift in 2024?
Working with partners, including Rewired Earth, we will
- bring together the theoretical justification and practical mechanisms to enable central government to be more joined-up across departments and policy areas;
- gain cross-party political support for truly Joined-Up Government; and
- aim for our first pilots with central government, quantifying benefits.
So, although the world looks very challenging at the moment, we are very excited with what 2024 might bring in terms of changing our paradigm.
So thanks and enjoy the festive season!
On behalf of OnePlanet, I’d like to thank our customers, supporters, and partners who made our 2023. Have a great Christmas and the New Year.
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